In Aaron Katz's idiosyncratic and unpredictable drama Quiet City, Georgian Jamie travels from her Atlanta home to Brooklyn, to visit her friend Samantha. When Jamie arrives, however, Samantha seems to have disappeared from her residence… MoreIn Aaron Katz's idiosyncratic and unpredictable drama Quiet City, Georgian Jamie travels from her Atlanta home to Brooklyn, to visit her friend Samantha. When Jamie arrives, however, Samantha seems to have disappeared from her residence - her phone is disconnected and she cannot be located. By sheer happenstance, Jamie runs into a stranger, Charlie, when she stops him to ask for directions. The two strike up an instant rapport and spend the rest of the day and night together - eating coleslaw, attending art exhibitions and experiencing Manhattan nightlife. The picture thus becomes an exploration of how relationships can spring from chance meetings between strangers, amid the most unfamiliar of circumstances and environments.

A talkfest like this is ripe for disaster, but Quiet City succeeds thanks to its two leads, Erin Fisher as Jamie and Cris Lankenau as Charlie. They're attractive and likable, and they hold our interest throughout.

Quiet City may be modest in budget and muted in its ambitions, but for anyone who imagines that truly independent American cinema is dead, this most chaste of romances is a quiet film worth shouting about.

Couple meet by chance, they talk, go to the park, visit friends, go to an art gallery and then a party. That's all there is to it, plenty of dialogue which… MoreCouple meet by chance, they talk, go to the park, visit friends, go to an art gallery and then a party. That's all there is to it, plenty of dialogue which keeps the interest as does the interaction of the leads though it still feels forced and not so natural. This may be down to the awkwardness of the characters themselves. Cheap and cheerful it's a very simple film that some would argue shouldn't even be classified as film. It's more like forced realism or an orchestrated documentary. This is what real reality TV would be like if you took away the stupid "plots", manipulative editing and dodgy soundtracks.